


I Can Make You Stronger

by inkubusmb



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Because I love that trope, Post Season 3, Post-Season/Series 03, Season 3 Spoilers, also Shadow Weaver is there, i have no idea how these tags work, so much, wanted to do a fic where Glimmer becomes power-obsessed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-23 20:16:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20211835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkubusmb/pseuds/inkubusmb
Summary: "You can really make me that powerful?""You think of yourself only as a princess, but you're the child of a great sorcerer. You have a more powerful connection to magic then you've ever realized. Let me show you."Shadow Weaver couldn't be trusted. Glimmer knew that.But after losing her mother, she knew she had to get stronger. Strong enough to protect her friends from the same fate. Strong enough to destroy the Horde.And Shadow Weaver was the only one who could give her that power.





	I Can Make You Stronger

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically me trying to deal with all the emotions season 3 slapped me in the face with. I hope you enjoy it!

_ “We have to do something! You would see that if you weren’t… totally paralyzed by fear!” _

By the time Glimmer, her friends, and Shadow Weaver reappeared in Brightmoon, the reality-warping events from when the portal was open became a blur of memories. 

Adora was the only one who remembered everything she’d gone through during that whole ordeal. She was the one who broke the news to Glimmer about her mother. About how the queen of Brightmoon sacrificed herself to save the world from crumbling into nothing. About how she pushed beyond the fear and regret that always held her back, and took action.

Adora told Glimmer everything, and all Glimmer could think about was how the last thing she told her mother was that she was a coward.

Glimmer regretted it the instant the words came out of her mouth, but she never got a chance to apologize for them. And now she never would. She would never be able to tell her mother how she didn’t mean what she said. How those cruel words were just a product of her frustration.

It was pointless now, but Glimmer would do anything to make things right. She wanted her mother to know that she was the bravest person Glimmer knew. She wanted to hug her, hear her voice, even argue with her about some stupid, unimportant thing that they would eventually reconcile over. She wanted to just… do something -  _ anything _ \- that would prove her mother wasn’t gone.

Tears welled up. A day had gone by since she got the news, and here she was crying again. Normally she’d never hide her emotions from others, but now she had no choice. She had to be strong for her subjects, the people of Brightmoon who were now looking up to her to lead them. She was their queen.

God, she really  _ was _ the queen now, wasn’t she? The thought was so bizarre that it still wasn’t sinking in. Glimmer always figured she would be a princess for most of her life. After all, her mother was supposed to be immortal. She was supposed to stick around forever.

Glimmer blinked back the tears that threatened to spring up again. No, she wouldn’t break down now. She couldn't afford to anymore.

She stood in the main garden situated right in front of the palace, her back to the gleaming moons. Rays of moonlight reflected off the blooming flowers surrounding her, painting everything in a rich, purple shade. In front of her sat an audience of over a hundred. Looking out at the somber sea of all the people who had come to attend the event was overwhelming.

Glimmer had been reluctant to hold a funeral. She didn’t want any more reminders that her mother was gone, but everyone insisted it was the right thing to do. They said it was more of a ceremony to honor Queen Angella’s sacrifice than anything else, but Glimmer knew a funeral when she saw one.

The good thing was that it was almost over. Everyone had already given their speeches, Glimmer included, although she couldn’t even remember it. She was so caught up in her thoughts that it was like everything else was background noise.

Bow and Adora stood by her side, as always. Adora was having a hard time too, but she occupied herself by stealing glances at Glimmer. Noticing the lost expression on Glimmer’s face, she took her hand. Glimmer had known Adora long enough to know that this was her way of being supportive. Glimmer gave a faint smile in return, appreciation clear on her face. She didn’t know what she would’ve done without the two of them.

When Adora first told her what had happened, Glimmer’s mind went blank. She knew all of the Brightmoon guards were looking to her for orders on what to do, but she could barely keep her thoughts together long enough to give any sort of command. Thankfully, Adora took over for her. Almost everything after that was meaningless. 

But there was one part of it all that stood out. 

One of the orders Adora gave was for the guards to escort Shadow Weaver back to the spare room until they could figure out what to do with her. The sorceress remained silent and didn’t make any effort to fight back. In fact, she seemed to be expecting this treatment. Before she was taken away, she turned her head towards Glimmer’s direction. It was just for a second, but something about it gave Glimmer pause.

Unfortunately, it was almost impossible to tell what the woman was thinking behind that mask. That look could’ve meant anything. Maybe the sorceress was disappointed at still being held prisoner. Or maybe she felt… sympathetic for Glimmer? 

No, that definitely wasn’t it. She didn’t even know  _ why _ that idea crossed her mind.

“Glimmer?”

Glimmer shook her head. Bow was staring at her with concern. The three of them stood beneath the entrance to the palace, the funeral having just been concluded fifteen minutes ago.

“Yeah?” Glimmer replied.

“Are you ok?” Bow asked with a furrowed brow. “I know it’s been a tough couple of days, but if you need to take a break, just give the word. Adora and I can take care of whatever’s left for today.”

“I appreciate it, Bow, I really do, but I can’t just  _ leave _ . I’m the queen now. How would it look if I just ran off to my room?”

“No one’s expecting you to instantly jump back up from what happened. It’s alright if you need a little time to rest. It’s only been a day since… you know.”

“Exactly! It’s already been a day and we still don’t know where the Horde ran off to. We can’t waste anymore time. What if they start building another portal? They still have Entrapta with them, remember?”

Adora said, “We’ve already sent out scouts to look for them. If they’re up to something, we’ll find out. Trust me, I want to go out and look for them as much as you do, but you’ve hardly had any time to rest. You need to take a break for a little bit. All of us do.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Glimmer complained. “How can any of us just relax and take a break? We  _ failed _ . We couldn’t do anything to stop the Horde from almost destroying the world.  _ I  _ couldn’t do anything.” Her hands clenched as she continued, “If I teleported us closer to the room with the portal, or if I took Catra out of the fight faster instead of messing up so much, then we wouldn’t have - she wouldn’t-” 

The tears returned. This time, she couldn’t do anything to stop them from falling.

And just as quickly, her two friends pulled her in for a hug. Glimmer held them close and let out a sob.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Bow said.

“I wasn’t strong enough. I’m  _ still _ not strong enough,” Glimmer said in a shaky voice. “I should’ve-”

“Stop,” Adora interrupted. She pulled away, but grasped both of Glimmer’s hands in her own. “You can’t blame yourself for this. And you shouldn’t carry all of this responsibility by yourself. We’re all here to help. We’ll make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”

It took a moment for Glimmer to respond. She wiped her tears and, in a quiet voice, said, “I know, but… I can’t stop thinking about everything I could’ve done differently. All the mistakes I could’ve fixed.”

“I know how that feels. I’ve been thinking the same thing ever since we got back, but all that does is paralyze you and eat you up from the inside. All we can do is hope that we do better next time.” She sighed and said, “But, right now, we need to take a break. Please tell us that you’ll rest for at least a little bit.”

Glimmer wanted to argue further, but she didn’t have any energy left in her. With a subdued nod, she agreed to retire to her room. Relief marked both of her friends’ faces. They offered to walk with Glimmer to her room, but she turned them down. As much as she loved them both, she needed to be alone right now.

The two of them said their goodbyes and returned to helping the palace staff prepare for the next day, leaving Glimmer alone.

* * *

Glimmer could’ve teleported straight to her room, but she couldn’t find the strength to use her powers.

When she got to her room, she managed to scrounge up enough magical energy to plop herself onto the bed hanging from the ceiling. A deep sigh escaped her as she sank into the soft surface. She was tired enough to sleep, but her mind was still running. Despite the reassurances Adora and Bow gave her, Glimmer still couldn’t help but dwell on every single thing she could have done better.

What if they never left Entrapta behind? She was the reason the Horde was even able to build the portal in the first place. If Glimmer had gone back for her, if she hadn’t messed up so much trying to rescue her, none of this would have happened.

And even further back, during princess prom, if Glimmer had spent less time worrying about her friendship with Bow and more time figuring out what Catra was up to, she wouldn’t have gotten caught so easily. 

Glimmer held her palms to her eyes as she recalled the incident. The fact that she’d been so pathetic and useless throughout the whole thing was too embarrassing to stomach. She was supposed to be a princess, daughter to a powerful, immortal queen, yet so far all she seemed to know how to do was screw things up.

The one time she’d ever felt in complete control of the situation and her magical abilities was when Shadow Weaver was there to help guide her.

She could still remember how it felt to have all that energy coursing through her. It was like a fire raged in her veins. It hurt, but it was nothing compared to the power that came with it. The exhilaration she felt after realizing she’d teleported so many people all the way to the Fright Zone was addictive.

How would things have gone if she had all that power from the start? Even better, how much stronger than that could she get? The only one who seemed to know the most about it was Shadow Weaver, since she was the one to push Glimmer’s abilities beyond their limit. What else could Glimmer learn from the sorceress?

Glimmer opened her eyes with a start. 

What was she thinking? She couldn’t go to Shadow Weaver for help. That was crazy! This was the same evil woman who held her prisoner in the Fright Zone. She was the reason Glimmer couldn’t use her powers afterwards. Even worse, she hurt Adora! The sole reason Glimmer resorted to asking Shadow Weaver for help earlier was because she didn’t have any other choice. It didn’t make any sense for her to take that risk again now that they weren’t in any urgent situation.

Still, one question kept coming up:  _ What if someone else dies because you weren’t strong enough? _

Glimmer sat up from the bed. She turned so her legs dangled over the edge and rubbed her eyes before looking out the window. It was dark outside, which meant most of the palace staff would be asleep by now.

Her magic reserves had regained some of their energy, so she teleported down to the floor with a flicker of light. Each move she made felt automatic, like her body was being pushed by some deep desire that couldn’t be ignored. Tiny glittering sparks gathered around her, and with a ripple of pink light, the room around her transformed.

A pale blue glow forced Glimmer to shut her eyes before her vision adjusted itself. The light came from a cylindrical barrier in the center of the room, which was about a foot wider than the first time it was created. The room itself seemed to fall away as Glimmer’s attention snapped to the woman sitting within the barrier.

“I was wondering when you’d come visit me again,” a voice as sweet as poison called out.

The woman in question sat on a large couch and sifted through some papers on her lap. Since the field around her was larger, there was room for other things, like a wooden chair and desk littered with writing tools. Apparently Shadow Weaver had requested these as recompense for her help.

Glimmer stifled a groan. “You know why I’m here,” she stated more than asked.

“Of course,” Shadow Weaver drawled. “I knew you wouldn’t forget all that power I was able to grant you. You have a taste for it, and now you want more.”

“Don’t phrase it like that. I just…” Glimmer paused. She never even stopped to think about what she wanted to say. Eventually she confessed, “With your help, I teleported farther than I thought was ever possible with my powers. All I want is to know is if there’s anything else you can do to make me stronger like that.”

Shadow Weaver hummed in approval. “As expected, you’re too smart to ignore the talents a sorceress of my caliber possesses. I  _ am _ willing to assist you-” She held up a finger. “-but I’ll need access to your runestone again to do so.

Glimmer shook her head. “No. I only let you use it before was because I was out of other options. I know you can do magic without it, so all I want you to do is teach me how I can use my own magic better. Nothing else.”

The sorceress narrowed her eyes. “You may have magical abilities, but that doesn’t mean you will be able to translate what I teach you into anything you can actually use. It would be much easier for me to augment the runestone to give you more power.”

“Not gonna happen. Either you teach me magic from in there, or we don’t have a deal.”

Shadow Weaver was silent for a moment. Finally, she said, “As you wish, but you haven’t specified what this deal actually is. What will you offer me in return?”

“That depends on how much you teach me. Don’t expect a full pardon for you crimes, but I might be willing to reduce whatever sentence you earn by the end of all this.”

“Assuming the Horde doesn’t destroy us all before then.”

Glimmer crossed her arms. “Do you accept or not?”

“Hm. I accept.” She pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and said, “I’m guessing you haven’t told Adora and the others about this arrangement.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“It is. If they find out, they may try to stop you. It would be best for everyone if this was kept discreet.” The sorceress shuffled her papers. “I don’t have anything prepared at the moment, so you must meet me tomorrow around this time for the first… lesson.” She caught herself, as if realizing she’d been reciting something from memory.

Glimmer didn’t pay it much attention. She was planning to meet at this same time tomorrow night anyway, so she nodded her head in agreement.

Before she left, she added, “Oh by the way, if you do anything that feels suspicious - and I mean  _ anything _ \- then our deal is off.”

All Shadow Weaver replied with was, “Of course.”

Their business over, Glimmer gave the holding cell one final glance before teleporting back to her room.

Only when the floor reappeared beneath her feet did she notice how fast her heart was racing.

She couldn’t believe she actually did that! Sure, rushing in and taking risks was kind of her thing, but this was something else entirely. Glimmer was doing this behind her friends’ backs. It wasn’t like she wanted to, but, as much as she hated thinking it, Shadow Weaver was right. They were already worried about her. What would they think - what would they say - if they found out about what she was doing?

Ugh. She was way too drained to think about this. Teleporting back up to her bed, she tried to quiet the storm in her mind and get some sleep. Starting tomorrow, she would learn whatever she could in order to get stronger. Strong enough to keep her friends safe.

No matter what it took.

* * *

About 24 hours had passed, and after a whole day of reassuring her friends that she was fine, Glimmer stood alone in her room. She stretched her arms around her head before teleporting into the holding cell. This time Shadow Weaver sat on the floor with loose papers spread out around her. Glimmer craned her neck and tried to get a peek at their contents as she walked forward. Her understanding of magic spells was limited - her aunt could never find the time to teach her - but she could tell that some of the papers had different types of magic runes drawn on them, while others were covered with dense notes.

Still arranging the papers, the sorceress said, “Ah, you’ve finally arrived.”

“This is the exact time you told me to come,” Glimmer grumbled.

Her new teacher from hell paid no attention to Glimmer’s complaints. Instead, she muttered to herself, “It’s been so long since I’ve had to teach someone magic. Especially someone who barely has a basic understanding of it. This curriculum should be able to catch a novice up, but…”

“Um, hello?” Glimmer said, standing in front of the barrier. “I’m right here.”

“I’m aware.”

“What’s all this for, anyway?”

“Your first lesson. I want to get this done as quickly as possible. And since you’re so adamant on refusing to let me use the runestone, this is the best way.” She held up a piece of paper with a few symbols drawn on it. “We’ll go over the basic symbols first, and then I’ll teach you how to put them together to create runes. Given what I know about how your magic functions, after you learn to create these runes by hand, you should be able to put them together in your mind and create the desired effect.”

“I - what?” This was a lot more complicated than she thought it would be. “I thought you were just gonna show me some powerful spells I could cast.”

Shadow Weaver sighed. “That would be the same as jumping into the ocean without any knowledge of how to swim. This way of learning is the most efficient. Now sit down so we can start.”

Glimmer gulped as she looked over all the notes the woman had written. She steeled her nerves and sat down.

A lot of doubts and fears had been bubbling up to the surface of Glimmer’s mind throughout the last day, and as much as she tried to leave them behind, they continued to hound her. What if she couldn’t learn anything? What if someone found out what she was doing? What if Shadow Weaver used this as a chance to escape? 

Most of these fears disappeared as the lessons went on. A few days passed, and Glimmer was actually surprised by how well she was doing, along with how confident she felt. All the symbols and runes might as well have been gibberish at first, but now they were starting to make sense. It was like all the puzzle pieces were clicking together in her head. 

What also caught her off guard was how capable of a teacher Shadow Weaver was. Glimmer had been expecting the woman to do a lot more cackling and monologuing as she taught - maybe a bit of subtle scheming, too - but she had been nothing but forthright so far. In fact, on some occasions Glimmer caught what might have been passion leaking into the sorceress’s voice as she talked, like she was enjoying herself.

On the fourth day, Shadow Weaver had Glimmer write down some runes she’d already memorized on blank pieces of paper. One of the runes was much more difficult than the rest. Glimmer hesitated for a moment, but a light went off in her head and she had it down on paper within a few seconds. When she presented it to the sorceress, her eyes widened behind the mask.

“This is exceptional work.” She looked up and said, “Are you sure you’ve never had previous experience with this?”

“Not that I remember. Is it really that good?”

Shadow Weaver chuckled. “I don’t know why I never considered you as a student earlier. Given your parentage, it makes sense for you to have a natural talent for this. You’re a prodigy.”

“I'd believe that if it came from anyone but you.” Glimmer replied in a dry voice. She was uncomfortable with how chummy Shadow Weaver was acting, but her spirit lifted at the praise. She tried to ignore it and continued working.

It didn’t seem like Shadow Weaver took what Glimmer said seriously, as she continued sprinkling in words of encouragement while their lessons continued. After a while, Glimmer stopped snapping at her for doing so. A week passed by and Glimmer was feeling more and more confident in her abilities. The downside was that her exhaustion was becoming noticeable. Well, more noticeable than usual. So much so that her friends had started commenting on it.

Once, when the princess alliance was finishing up a meeting discussing the whereabouts of the Horde, Bow leaned over and asked, “Um, Glimmer? Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, why?” Glimmer replied, looking up from the holographic map in front of her.

“You seem a lot more tired than usual. You’re not secretly taking on more work than you can handle, are you?”

Glimmer forced a laugh and said, “What? No, not at all. It’s just that…” Thoughts raced through Glimmer’s head as she tried to come up with an excuse. “...being queen is a  _ lot _ harder than I thought it would be.” She tried to keep her expression optimistic, but her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Well, remember what we said. You’re not alone in this. We can help carry some of that weight for you, ok?”

This time a real smile formed on Glimmer’s face. A flicker of guilt burned in the back of her mind, but she said, “I know, Bow. I appreciate it.”

As soon as her friends left the room, Glimmer let out a sigh. 

There was no reason for her to feel guilty. She was doing this  _ for _ them, after all. Lying to them didn’t feel good, but it was a small price to pay to keep them safe.

* * *

“You’re late. Again.”

Glimmer rubbed her eyes, trying to will her exhaustion away. “I know. One of the meetings went a lot longer than normal, but it’s fine. I’m here now.” She grabbed one of the chairs she’d stashed in the room a few days ago and brought it over to the barrier. There weren’t as many notes strewn around as usual, so Glimmer asked, “What are we doing today?”

“Today you will show me the extent of what you’ve learned so far.” Shadow Weaver lifted a paper with a complicated spell scrawled onto it. “You’re familiar with this telekinesis spell, correct? What I want you to do is shape it in your mind and use your own magic to place it somewhere in this room. This will tell me if my theory is correct.”

Glimmer looked over the paper for a moment before nodding. All of her previous lessons had been leading up to this test. If she couldn’t do this, all of her time spent here would’ve been for nothing. 

Taking a deep breath, Glimmer closed her eyes and pictured the spell coming together. First she imagined the basic outline, filling it with the correct symbols once the image was concrete in her mind. The moment it was complete, her magic reserve pulsed.

Sweat popped up on her brow in anticipation. Opening her eyes, Glimmer reached her hand out to a golden vase decorating the corner of the room. The same rune flickered underneath the object after a few seconds of concentration. Once the image had stabilized, it let out a hypnotizing glow. The vase slowly rose in the air.

Shadow Weaver hummed, “Good.”

Pride flashed through Glimmer, but she couldn’t help but frown as she took her new ability into stock. Was this all she could do? A week of training and the only thing she could do was lift a vase one foot off the ground? It wasn’t even heavy. Glimmer was pretty sure she could lift the thing using just her pinky.

Glimmer let out a grunt of disappointment. Closing her eyes, she put the spell together in her mind again. Then she created another. And another after that. Soon, she had almost a dozen spells prepared in her head, and her connection to her runestone strained from the effort. Finally, Glimmer opened her eyes and held out her other hand. At once, runes appeared spread out across the entire floor: beneath wooden chairs, plush cushions, and decorative plants. A light blue glare bounced off of the walls and ceiling as everything in the room seemed to defy gravity.

Out of the corner of Glimmer’s eyes, Shadow Weaver stared at the scene in wonder. “Incredible,” was all the sorceress whispered.

It still wasn’t enough, but Glimmer couldn’t find a way to push her powers further. She broke her connection to the runes and let the objects float back down to the floor without a sound.

“That was an extraordinary display, child. Why do you look so disappointed?”

“I-” Glimmer gripped the edge of her shirt. “I thought I’d be able to do more by now. How is lifting some things off the floor gonna help me fight? How much more of this will it take before I get stronger?”

“Glimmer,” Shadow Weaver crowed. “You’ve done better than any student I’ve ever taught. The only other I could compare you to would be your father, and even  _ he _ wasn’t what I would call the perfect student, as he would often get distracted by his surroundings.  _ Your _ focus, on the other hand, is still as sharp as when we first began these lessons.”

Glimmer's temper flared at the mention of her father. She glared and said, “Don’t talk about him like that.”

“Oh?” Shadow Weaver tilted her head. “I thought you’d want to know more about him. I know you lost him at a very young age. Who better to tell you what he was like than the woman who taught him everything he knew?”

Glimmer blinked. The thought  _ had _ crossed her mind, but for some reason she never considered asking. Maybe because of the assumption that the sorceress would do nothing but lie the entire time. Still, the question was at the tip of Glimmer’s tongue. 

Glimmer shook her head. “All I’m here to do is learn magic.”

“As you wish,” the sorceress replied and leaned back into her seat. She didn’t mention Glimmer’s father any further. And that was fine. That was what Glimmer wanted.

The next few days passed the same way. Shadow Weaver continued to commend Glimmer for the rapid pace at which she was learning the material. Glimmer could feel her “magic muscles” - as she liked to call them - growing more and more. Still, the question lingered at the back of her mind.

It stayed there until one particular night.

In the middle of one of their sessions, Shadow Weaver showed Glimmer a new, more complicated spell to memorize. It was supposed to be one she’d never seen before, but at the sight of it, Glimmer’s eyes widened. 

A memory flashed in her mind.

Shadow Weaver said something, but Glimmer didn’t hear it. The memory carried a calming sensation that blocked out everything else.

It also carried a voice. The voice of a man she shouldn’t have recognized, along with a visage that was a hundred times more vibrant and full of life than the murals adoring the walls of the palace which attempted to capture his likeness.

There was a flash of light, a deep chuckle, and warmth as strong arms lifted Glimmer up into the air.

And as fast as it had come, the memory was gone.

Glimmer blinked as tears filled her eyes. She’d never seen that man before, but had a feeling she knew who it was. Even though the vision was nothing but a false reality, something created out of her wishes, she couldn’t fight against the sense of loss that came with it.

Shadow Weaver’s voice finally hooked onto Glimmer. “What’s wrong, child?”

“It’s - It’s nothing,” Glimmer responded in a shaky voice. The paper in her hands wrinkled as her grip on it tightened. She tried swallowing down the question she’d been holding back for days, but it was too much. Finally, she blurted out, “You said you knew my dad, right?”

The sorceress must have made some kind of expression behind the mask. After a few seconds, she said, “I thought you didn’t want me to mention him.”

“I… I changed my mind,” Glimmer replied. Her mother never talked about Glimmer’s father, and Glimmer avoided asking about him since her mother’s mood always seemed to sink whenever his name came up. This left a gaping hole in Glimmer’s mind where the image of her father should be that she had to fill up with made-up stories and fantasies. It was therapeutic at first, but the small crumbs of satisfaction this practice brought soon turned sour in her mouth. 

Right now, though, there was someone who could actually give her the truth. Someone who could replace the delusions Glimmer had dreamt up with actual facts.

Glimmer loosened her grip and asked, “Can you tell me what he was like?”

“...I suppose we can delay our lesson for a moment.” She pushed back a strand of loose hair as she gathered her thoughts. Glimmer leaned forward, desperate not to miss anything.

When Shadow Weaver spoke, Glimmer hung onto every word.

The sorceress recounted how talented Micah had been as a child. How he would pick up everything his teachers taught him with ease and no shortage of excitement. His enthusiasm had no bounds. While there was a note of irritation when Shadow Weaver mentioned how often her student would get distracted and fool around, most of the time she spoke of him in a fond tone. Glimmer expected to feel worse after hearing all of this, but her heart rose every minute she sat there and listened.

Shadow Weaver promised she would spend only a moment on Glimmer’s wish, but an hour went by before the sorceress caught herself. Glancing out the window, she sat up and said, “It seems I lost track of time. It won’t do either of us any good to stay up and continue this session, so I suggest we start again tomorrow.”

Glimmer’s mood sank, but she knew Shadow Weaver was right. She stood and stretched her stiff back. Before teleporting away, she glanced at Shadow Weaver. As long as this was happening, she might as well ask another question that was on her mind. “How good at magic was my dad at my age?”

“At your age? I’d say he was already as proficient as some of the teachers at Mystacor themselves. You’re not at his skill level at the moment, but it’s only a matter of time before you surpass him.

She must have mistaken the look on Glimmer’s face for self-doubt, because she added, “Of course, this would go  _ much _ quicker if I had direct access to your runestone.”

Glimmer narrowed her eyes. “We already talked about this.”

“I know. I only wanted to remind you in case it slipped your memory. It is  _ your _ decision, after all.”

Her proposal bounced around in Glimmer’s head. Glimmer hesitated before saying, “If I decide to go with it, I’ll let you know myself.”

The lesson over, Glimmer teleported back to her room. She considered completely dismissing Shadow Weaver’s offer from her mind like she did the last time it came up, but uncertainty stopped her.

Whatever. She’d deal with it later.

* * *

Glimmer’s entire body was tense. Sure, she was used to fights - in fact, she was usually the one who went looking for them in the first place. This time was different, though. This was the first chance she got to test her new abilities in the field.

Another week had gone by. A scout had returned to the palace bearing news on where the Horde’s main forces may have made their new headquarters. Not wanting to waste any time, Glimmer called forth all the princesses to a meeting to discuss their plan of attack. There was no time to wait. Part of her flinched, knowing her mother would disapprove of this course of action if she were here, but Glimmer ignored it. She knew the costly price that came with waiting too long to act.

The other princesses were willing to fight with Glimmer, but Bow chipped in and mentioned how there was a chance the report might be innacurate. It would be risky to bring all of their main forces to the wrong place, as it would give the Horde the chance to attack the undefended palace.

In the end, it was decided that Bow and Adora would be the ones to accompany Glimmer, along with a portion of the Rebellion’s forces. Hopefully, that would be enough.

Looking down at the battlefield, Glimmer was starting to doubt that it was.

Dozens of tanks littered the field; beams of light and thunderous blasts of energy clogged the air. It was complete chaos.

Glimmer gripped her staff tight. She let out a cry and charged. Despite the imposing sight, she would not back down.

She-ra charged into battle alongside Glimmer, her glowing transformation rousing the soldiers around them. Bow fell back and began picking the enemy soldiers off one by one at with frightening accuracy.

They’d underestimated how many troops the Horde was willing to sacrifice to defend their new headquarters. Dozens of soldiers and machines spilled out of the cracks and fissures they were hiding in. The Rebellion was fighting them back so far, but it didn’t look like it would last.

Glimmer took a deep breath and her magic fluctuated in response. She readied herself, raised her staff into the air, and closed her eyes. Drowning out the discordant sounds of battle, she pieced together the spells she’d learned over the last couple of weeks. Then, she opened her eyes.

Her staff slammed down with a crack, and runes formed underneath the line of tanks barreling towards her. With a flash of pink light, they blinked out of existence. A few seconds later, they could be spotted hurtling towards the ground almost a mile away.

She-ra gaped at the resulting crash. “Where did you learn to do that?!” She shouted over the noise.

“Uh,” Glimmer tried coming up with an excuse, but a stray laser beamed by her head and scattered her thoughts. She spit out, “I’ll tell you when this is over!”

She-ra looked dissatisfied, but she nodded and turned her attention back to the battle.

Glimmer was about to do the same when her knees buckled and almost sent her to the ground. The spell had taken more out of her than she expected. That wasn’t a good sign. There were still so many Horde soldiers left standing. If she couldn’t do a powerful spell like that more than a few times in a row, then what was the point of having it?

She grit her teeth and stood back up. She’d wring the answer out of Shadow Weaver the next chance she got. For now, though, she’d have to stick to using smaller spells. 

Pink, blinding beams of light shot out of her staff at rapid speed. The enemy scurried in an effort to pin her down, but she was teleporting faster than they could keep track of. Even Glimmer couldn’t help but laugh as exhilaration filled her lungs. She was moving even faster than when Shadow Weaver was helping her.

When Glimmer stopped to blast a tank back with a bright flash, she noticed that She-ra wasn’t the only one who took notice of her enhanced powers. Her fellow fighters couldn’t help but stare in amazement. Even the Horde soldiers faltered as they took in the destructive display.

“Glimmer!”

Glimmer whipped her head in the direction of She-ra’s voice. The princess had her golden shield up and was doing everything she could to deflect all the attacks hurling towards her, but the strain on her face said she couldn’t hold up for much longer. A squad of four tanks closed around her.

Teleporting up to one of the tanks, Glimmer placed her palm on its surface and sent it a few yards above the one next to it. It hung in the air before crashing down. Two down, two to go.

A groan escaped Glimmer. She struggled to stay standing. That spell by itself drained a large portion of her magic reserves.

Doing a spell like that again was risky, so Glimmer made a short teleport to the top of the third tank. The soldier operating the weapon flinched in surprise. Glimmer took that chance to swing her staff up with all the strength she had left and knock the soldier’s helmet clean off their head.

The soldier tripped back, their hands catching their fall. Glimmer wound her staff back to finish the fight, but she stopped.

The face staring back at her belonged to a young woman, around the same age as Glimmer. Her eyes were wide with fear. It was just for a couple of seconds, but Glimmer hesitated.

That was enough time for the cannon beside her to finish charging up and fire, the thunderous boom nearly deafening Glimmer. A scream rang out.

Glimmer turned to the sight of She-ra dropping her shield and collapsing onto the cracked ground. Sizzling smoke rose from a fresh wound at her side. The glow she gave off faded, and her form shrank until it was Adora lying on the ground.

A cold sensation spread through Glimmer’s body.

“Adora!” Glimmer shouted as she teleported to Adora’s side, hoping her friend could hear her voice. She couldn’t force herself to look at the wound, and she couldn’t stop the tears from forming. All she could look at was Adora’s face. 

The girl’s eyelids flickered, and Glimmer felt a spark of relief.

Behind her, the sound of crackling energy rose in pitch and volume as the fourth tank charged up its cannon, interrupting Glimmer’s thoughts.

Rage drowned out everything else.

Glimmer grit her teeth and slammed her staff down onto the earth again, a messy jumble of runic symbols thrown together in her mind.

The field around them cracked and rumbled. Pink rays of light beamed out of the fissures and snuffed out the rest of the world. Rebellion and Horde soldiers alike screamed and ran from the center as the energy in the air crackled and grew. Finally, a fiery blaze broke free from the surface. The roar of the resulting explosion swallowed everything in sight.

Glimmer could barely register the effect of her spell. It had completely drained her. Bright spots of light appeared in her vision, and her mind threatened to slip into unconsciousness.

With the last of her strength, Glimmer teleported herself and Adora back to the edge of the battlefield. Bow was threading through the chaos to get to them.

“Glimmer! What happened?!” Bow’s voice passed through Glimmer’s ears but it couldn’t find purchase in her mind. She tried to respond, but the words wouldn’t leave her mouth.

Dark spots grew in her vision. Bow’s panicked voice pulled on Glimmer’s consciousness, but it wasn’t strong enough. She let go and let herself sink into the comforting darkness.

* * *

“Ugh…”

Glimmer groaned as her eyes flickered open, daylight streaming down through the thin window curtains hanging above her.

It was quiet. The sound of distant and muffled voices reverberated through the walls, but other than that, it was a big contrast from the deafening din of battle. It was so calm that Glimmer considered closing her eyes and going back to sleep.

Then the memory of Adora’s scream flashed through her mind.

“Adora!” Glimmer sat up with a start. Her vision swam. She held a hand to her head and tried to regain her senses.

“Your highness!” A voice reached her ears before the man it belonged to came into view. Loose, white robes hung off his thin frame, held together by a golden pin symbolizing that he was a healer of high ranking. He rushed up to the side of the bed and, in a panicked voice, said, “Don’t get up too fast. You used a dangerous amount of magic while you were away.”

“I-I’m fine,” Glimmer muttered. She looked around the spacious room. The walls, ceiling, and floor were decorated with purple and gold engravings. She must be back in Brightmoon. “Where’s Adora?”

“She’s resting in her room-”

“Is she alright?”

“Yes, there’s no need to worry. She sustained some serious injuries during the battle, but her wounds are healing at an astounding rate.”

Glimmer sighed in relief, but she had a feeling that was the only good news that she was going to get. Steeling herself, she asked, “How did the battle go?”

“Reports say it didn’t go well. After you and She-ra fell, our forces became overwhelmed and had to make a hasty retreat. I fear many of their numbers fell behind and were captured by the Horde.”

Glimmer’s eyes stung. Not in grief, but in anger. Some queen she was. She thought she could be the kind of ruler that would make her mother proud, but in just a few weeks, she had crippled the Rebellion with her stupid decisions. She wasn’t strong enough to protect her people. She wasn’t even strong enough to protect Adora from getting hurt.

Glimmer tore her covers away and pushed herself into a standing position. Her legs shook from exhaustion, but she forced herself to move forward.

“Queen Glimmer?” The doctor stepped back in surprise.

“Go make sure Adora is ok. There’s something I need to do.”

Glimmer lurched towards the door. A bit of strength returned to her legs and soon her steps became more and more confident. As she walked down the hall, her guards looked up in surprise and stood at attention.

All of this - all of her mistakes - happened because she hesitated. Because she was weak. It was the reason she lost so many troops to the Horde. It was the reason she couldn’t protect Adora. It was the reason her mother was gone.

Glimmer stopped in front of a large door, two guards blocking the entrance. 

“Let me through,” Glimmer commanded.

The guards faltered for a second, not used to this tone of voice from their princess, but they collected themselves and stood aside.

Glimmer slammed the doors open and made her way to the center of the room, the pale blue light from the barrier bouncing off the immaculate floor. Shadow Weaver was sitting at her desk, but she started at the sound of the door opening. She looked up in surprise as Glimmer walked up to her.

“What’s the matter, child? You seem distressed,” Shadow Weaver asked, rising from her chair.

Glimmer cut straight to the point. “You said you could make me stronger.”

“And I have. You’re capable of much more now than you’ve ever been before.”

“What does that matter when I get tired after using just one of those new spells?” Glimmer asked with a raised voice. “What’s the point if they can’t help me in a fight?”

“You must have patience, Glimmer. The amount of magic you can use will grow with practice. You can’t expect to become that powerful after such a short amount of time. It takes years of study and discipline to improve, even for someone as adept as you.”

“I don’t  _ have  _ years! My people are hurt because I was weak,” Glimmer gripped the edge of her shirt as she talked. “There has to be a faster way to make me better. To make me stronger.”

Shadow Weaver tilted her head. “You already know how.”

She was right. Glimmer couldn’t afford to hesitate anymore.

Panic threatened to pull Glimmer back, but she snuffed it out with a cold ferocity. Raising her hand, a ball of light grew in her palm. Shadow Weaver stepped back as Glimmer slammed her hand against the barrier. 

The barrier flickered for a second before it collapsed, falling to the ground as clumps of glowing dust.

Shadow Weaver watched in silence, waiting for Glimmer to take the next step.

Glimmer’s breath was heavy from the strain of using another spell when she was still so drained. After slowing down her breathing, she stepped over the remains of the barrier.

Shadow Weaver raised a hand towards Glimmer, palm up, and said, “I know you don’t trust me, but in this world, risks must be taken in order to rise above the rest. Now, how far are you willing to go in order to rise in power? In order to protect the people you care about?”

Glimmer took Shadow Weaver’s hand. Raw magic surged through her. With a determined voice, she said, “As far as it takes.”

“Then you must promise to do exactly as I say, or else hesitation will continue to hold you back, and I won’t be able to help you.”

Setting her jaw, Glimmer replied, “I promise to do what you say.”

“Good.” Shadow Weaver hummed. Glimmer knew that behind the mask, the sorceress was smiling. “We’re going to do great things together.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> this is pretty much the first fic I've ever written so I'd love to hear advice on how I can improve.
> 
> Oh yeah you can also find me on tumblr @inkubusmb. There's not much on it right now but I'll start posting more of my own stuff soon.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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